Unit Plan 15 (Grade 5 PE): Personal Fitness & Healthy Habits

Focus: Connect PE to overall wellness by helping students explain how daily behavior choices such as movement, sleep, nutrition, hydration, and screen time affect fitness, health, mood, and performance.

Grade Level: 5

Subject Area: Physical Education (Personal Fitness • Healthy Habits • Wellness Reflection)

Total Unit Duration: 1 core session + 2 optional sessions (1–3 weeks), 50–60 minutes per session

I. Introduction

Students explore the idea that health is built through many daily choices, not just what happens during PE class. In this unit, students begin with a student-chosen cardio warm-up where they select from activities such as walking, jogging, dancing, or skipping and then use simple intensity checks to notice how their bodies feel. They then rotate through “Design a Day” Health Stations focused on activity, sleep, nutrition, and screen time, discussing what healthy choices might look like across a typical day. Throughout the unit, students connect physical activity to physical health, mental health, and social well-being, learning that the habits they build now affect how they feel, learn, move, and interact with others.

Essential Questions

• How do my daily choices affect my fitness, health, and how I feel during the day?
• How can I tell if I am working at a light, medium, or vigorous intensity during activity?
• Why do healthy habits like sleep, hydration, movement, and balanced screen time matter together, not separately?
• How does regular physical activity help my body, mind, and relationships?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Participate actively in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity during cardio warm-ups and movement-based station tasks.
2. Use simple intensity-monitoring tools such as heart-rate checks, effort scales, or the talk test to describe how hard they are working.
3. Identify and explain healthy lifestyle choices related to regular activity, nutrition, hydration, sleep, and balanced screen time.
4. Explain how personal choices can affect energy, focus, fitness, mood, and overall health.
5. Describe how physical activity can support physical, mental, and social well-being.

Standards Alignment — 5th Grade (SHAPE America-based custom)

• PE:S3.5a – Sustained Participation in Moderate-to-Vigorous Activity Participate actively and continuously in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) for significant portions of class without frequent off-task behavior.
  • Example: During fitness circuits or small-sided games, students remain engaged and moving, minimizing standing time between turns.
• PE:S3.5b – Monitoring Intensity with Simple Fitness Tools Use simple tools and methods (heart rate checks, perceived exertion scales, talk test, step counts) to monitor and adjust activity intensity.
  • Example: After intervals of running, students check their pulse or use a 1–5 exertion scale to describe effort, then adjust pace to stay in a “target zone.”
• PE:S3.5e – Applying Healthy Lifestyle Choices Identify and describe specific choices that support a healthy lifestyle, including regular activity, good nutrition, hydration, sleep, and balanced screen time.
  • Example: Students discuss how choosing to be active after school, limiting sugary drinks, and getting enough sleep help them feel better and perform better in PE.
• PE:S5.5b – Recognizing Physical, Mental, and Social Benefits Describe how regular physical activity positively affects physical health (fitness, strength), mental health (mood, stress), and social connections (friendships, teamwork).
  • Example: Students explain that playing games helps them feel energized, reduces stress, and allows them to spend time with friends.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can stay active during warm-ups and movement stations without needing lots of reminders.
• I can use an effort scale, talk test, or pulse check to describe my intensity.
• I can explain healthy choices related to activity, sleep, food, hydration, and screen time.
• I can describe how my daily habits affect how I feel in PE, school, and life.
• I can explain how physical activity helps my body, my mood, and my relationships with others.